§ 42. Mr. Penhaligonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many permanent patients there are in the NHS in receipt of the £3.50 allowances.
§ Mr. OrmeI assume the hon. Member is referring to the amount of £3.05 which is the current rate of benefit payable, under the Social Security (Hospital In-Patients) Regulations, as an allowance for personal requirements to certain beneficiaries in hospital. The £3.05 allowance applies after a beneficiary who cannot be treated as having a dependant has been, or is treated as having been, in hospital for a year; this rate of benefit applies for the rest of his hospital stay, however long or short that may be. Supplementary benefit may be paid to certain hospital in-patients at this same rate. I regret that the information is not available in the form requested, but the following are relevant estimated figures:
make a statement on the introduction of child benefit in April 1977.
§ Mr. OrmeI would refer the hon. and learned Gentleman to my right hon. 99W Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke) on 26th October and my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury's reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, South (Mr. Marshall) on 16th November.—[Vol. 918, c.112–14; Vol. 919 c. 501–6.]
§ Mr. Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the fact that the increase of 30p in child support for families with marginal tax rates of less than 50 Der cent., in his reply to the hon. Member for Leicester, South (Mr. Marshall) Offical Report, 16th November 1976, columns 501–6, represents an increase of only 5.6 per cent. in total child support for two-child families compared with April 1976, during a period of 15 Der cent. prices rises, whether he will be reconsidering the proposed level of £1₷50 child benefit in the light of prices in April 1977.
§ Mrs. Chalkerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, in the event of child benefit being increased for all children to levels above those envisaged by the Government for 1977–78, under what statutory authority the Government are empowered to reduce unemployment benefit for all children by amounts equivalent to such increases.
§ Mr. OrmeMy right hon. Friend is empowered under Section 17 of the Child Benefit Act 1975 to reduce increases of unemployment benefit, and of other relevant national insurance benefits for children to such extent as he thinks appropriate having regard to any increase in the rate of child benefit. The power is exercisable by regulations, or by order if the change in child benefit coincides with an uprating of national insurance benefits.